Damola Ogungbe

France's Kylian Mbappe is back on the World Cup trail, with the 2018 World champion looking to defend their trophy and win the Golden Boot (and perhaps the Golden Ball while at it).

Ecuador's surprise package Enner Balencia is in close second but the striker's injury in the second round of group matches could severely hamper his challenge for the World Cup top scorer gong.

Kylian Mbappe is the leading top scorer at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi has two (2) goals and one (1) assist so far while big names Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski both have one (1) goal apiece.

You can <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/sports/football/all-fifa-world-cup-top-scorers-golden-boot-winners-from-1982-to-2022/fv3xljb">click here </a>to see the highest goalscorers (Golden Boot Winners) from all the previous World Cups.

Harry Kane won the FIFA Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup

<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/sports/football/all-fifa-world-cup-top-scorers-golden-boot-winners-from-1982-to-2022/fv3xljb">All FIFA World Cup Top Scorers [Golden Boot winners 1930 - 2018]</a>

See the list of all the goal scorers so far at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

<h3>Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup top scorers list (Golden Boot Rankings)</h3>

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar goalscorers [Golden Boot rankings]

Mbappe goes clear at the top of the Golden Boot rankings, Harry Kane gets his first goal. Click here to see all the 2022 World Cup goalscorers and follow the race for the FIFA Golden Boot

FIFA World Cup 2022 goalscorers [Golden Boot rankings]

The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup got underway on Sunday, November 20 with a 2-0 defeat for hosts Qatar at the Al-Bayt Stadium.

Visit this page regularly to get the latest World Cup results, scores, goalscorers and live group standings updated as they happen.

World Cup hosts Qatar are in Group A alongside African champions Senegal, Louis van Gaal's Netherlands, and South American side Ecuador.

Qatar vs Ecuador - Sunday, November 20 - 5pm

Senegal vs Netherlands - Monday, November 21 - 5 pm

Qatar vs Senegal - Friday, November 25 - 2 pm

Netherlands vs Ecuador - Friday, November 25 - 5 pm

Netherlands vs Qatar - Tuesday, November 29 - 4 pm

Ecuador vs Senegal - Tuesday, November 29 - 4 pm

<h3>Group A World Cup results and goalscorers</h3>

Qatar vs Ecuador - Sunday, November 20 - 5pm

Qatar 0 - 2 Ecuador [Enner Valencia 16', 31']

Qatar was beaten by Ecuador in the 2022 World Cup's opening match.Getty/David Bustamante

Senegal vs Netherlands - Monday, November 21 - 5 pm

Senegal 0 - 2 Netherlands [Cody Gakpo 84'; Davy Klaassen 90'+9]

Qatar vs Senegal - Friday, November 25 - 2 pm

Qatar [Mohammed Muntari 78'] 1 - 3 Senegal [Boulaye Dia 41'; Famara Diedhiou 48'; Ahmadou Bamba Dieng 84']

Netherlands vs Ecuador - Friday, November 25 - 5 pm

Netherlands [Cody Gakpo 6'] 1 - 1 Ecuador [Enner Valencia 49']

Netherlands vs Qatar - Tuesday, November 29 - 4 pm

Netherlands [Cody Gakpo 26'; Frenkie de Jong 49'] 2 - 0 Qatar

Ecuador vs Senegal - Tuesday, November 29 - 4 pm

Ecuador [Moises Caicedo 67'] 1 - 2 Senegal [Ismaila Sarr 44' P; Kalidou Koulibaly 70']

Group B consists of 2018 semifinalists England with fellow British country Wales as well as the United States and Iran.

England vs Iran - Monday, November 21 - 2 pm

USA vs Wales - Monday, November 21 - 8 pm

Wales vs Iran - Friday, November 25 - 11 am

England vs USA - Friday, November 25 - 8 pm

Wales vs England - Tuesday, November 29 - 8 pm

Iran vs USA - Tuesday, November 29 - 8 pm

<h3>Group B World Cup results and goalscorers</h3>

England vs Iran - Monday, November 21 - 2 pm

England [Jude Bellingham 35'; Bukayo Saka 43', 62'; Raheem Sterling 45'+1; Marcus Rashford 71'; Jack Grealish 90'+1] 6 - 2 Iran [Mehdi Taremi 65', 90'+13]

Jude Bellingham during the World Cup Group B game between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on November 21, 2022.

USA vs Wales - Monday, November 21 - 8 pm

USA [Timothy Weah 36'] 1 - 1 Wales [Gareth Bale 82' P]

Wales vs Iran - Friday, November 25 - 11 am

Wales 0 - 2 Iran [Roozbeh Cheshmi 90'+8; Ramin Rezaeian 90'+10']

England vs USA - Friday, November 25 - 8 pm

Wales vs England - Tuesday, November 29 - 8 pm

Wales 0 - 3 England [Marcus Rashford 50', 68'; Phil Foden 51']

Iran vs USA - Tuesday, November 29 - 8 pm

Iran 0 - 1 USA [Christian Pulisic 38']

Group C consists of World Cup favourites Argentina as well as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Robert Lewandowski's Poland.

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia - Tuesday, November 22 - 11 am

Mexico vs Poland - Tuesday, November 22 - 5 pm

Poland vs Saudi Arabia - Saturday, November 26 - 2 pm

Argentina vs Mexico - Saturday, November 26 - 8 pm

Poland vs Argentina - Wednesday, November 30 - 8 pm

Saudi Arabia vs Mexico - Wednesday, November 30 - 8 pm

<h3>Group C World Cup results and goalscorers</h3>

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia - Tuesday, November 22 - 11 am

Argentina [Lionel Messi 10' P] 1 - 2 Saudi Arabia [Saleh Alshehri 48'; Salem Aldawsari 53']

Lionel Messi of Argentina (left) and Salem Al-Dawsari (right) of Saudi Arabia during the FIFA World Cup on November 22, 2022.

Mexico vs Poland - Tuesday, November 22 - 5 pm

Poland vs Saudi Arabia - Saturday, November 26 - 2 pm

Poland [Piotr Zielinski 39'; Robert Lewandowski 82'] 2 - 0 Saudi Arabia

Argentina vs Mexico - Saturday, November 26 - 8 pm

Argentina [Lionel Messi 64'; Enzo Fernandez 87'] 2 - 0 Mexico

Poland vs Argentina - Wednesday, November 30 - 8 pm

Poland 0 - 2 Argentina [Alexis Mac Allister 46'; Julian Alvarez 67']

Saudi Arabia vs Mexico - Wednesday, November 30 - 8 pm

Saudi Arabia [Salem Al-Dawsari 90'+5] 1 - 2 Mexico [Henry Martin 47'; Luis Chavez 52']

Group D consists of World champions France, Christian Eriksen's Denmark as well as Tunisia, and Australia.

Denmark vs Tunisia - Tuesday, November 22 - 2 pm

France vs Australia - Tuesday, November 22 - 9 pm

Tunisia vs Australia - Saturday, November 26 - 11 am

France vs Denmark - Saturday, November 26 - 5 pm

Tunisia vs France - Wednesday, November 30 - 4 pm

Australia vs Denmark - Wednesday, November 30 - 4 pm

<h3>Group D World Cup results and goalscorers</h3>

Denmark vs Tunisia - Tuesday, November 22 - 2 pm

France vs Australia - Tuesday, November 22 - 9 pm

France [Adrien Rabiot 27'; Olivier Giroud 32', 71'; Kylian Mbappe 68'] 4 - 1 Australia [Craig Goodwin 9']

Tunisia vs Australia - Saturday, November 26 - 11 am

Tunisia 0 - 1 Australia [Mitchell Duke 23']

France vs Denmark - Saturday, November 26 - 5 pm

France [Kylian Mbappe 61', 86'] 2 - 1 Denmark [Andreas Christensen 68']

Tunisia vs France - Wednesday, November 30 - 4 pm

Tunisia [Wahbi Khazri 58'] 1 - 0 France

Australia vs Denmark - Wednesday, November 30 - 4 pm

Australia [Mathew Leckie 60'] 1 - 0 Denmark

Group E has 2010 World Cup champions Spain, pooled with 2014 World Cup champions Germany with Costa Rica and Japan making up the group.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 All results, fixtures, scores, live standings, goalscorers, group tables (14)

Mbappe breaks World Cup records, England send Senegal packing. Click here to see all the World Cup results, fixtures, scores, live standings, goalscorers, and group tables

FIFA World Cup 2022: All results, fixtures, scores, live standings

Senegal battled gamely, but fell just short in defeat to the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup (IMAGO/Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

Qatar 2022: Tunisia – Team guide, key players and full fixtures

Spain vs Costa Rica - Wednesday, November 23 - 5 pm

Germany vs Japan - Wednesday, November 23 - 2 pm

Japan vs Costa Rica - Sunday, November 27 - 11 am

Spain vs Germany - Sunday, November 27 - 8 pm

Japan vs Spain - Thursday, December 1 - 8 pm

Costa Rica vs Germany - Thursday, December 23 - 8 pm

Morocco vs Croatia - Wednesday, November 23 - 11 am

Belgium vs Canada - Wednesday, November 23 - 8 pm

Belgium vs Morocco - Sunday, November 27 - 2 pm

Morocco played a goalless draw with Croatia in their World Cup opener

Croatia vs Canada - Sunday, November 27 - 5 pm

Croatia vs Belgium - Thursday, December 1 - 4 pm

Canada vs Morocco - Thursday, December 1 - 4 pm

Switzerland vs Cameroon - Thursday, November 24 - 11 am

Brazil vs Serbia - Thursday, November 24 - 8 pm

Cameroon vs Serbia - Monday, November 28 - 11 am

Cameroon's squad in their last preparatory friendly for the World Cup

Brazil vs Switzerland - Monday, November 28 - 5 pm

Cameroon vs Brazil - Friday, December 2 - 8 pm

Serbia vs Switzerland - Friday, December 2 - 8 pm

Uruguay vs South Korea - Thursday, November 24 - 2 pm

Portugal vs Ghana - Thursday, November 24 - 5 pm

South Korea vs Ghana - Monday, November 28 - 2 pm

Black Stars: Here’s Ghana’s starting line-up against Switzerland

Portugal vs Uruguay - Monday, November 28 - 8 pm

South Korea vs Portugal - Friday, December 2 - 4 pm

Ghana vs Uruguay - Friday, December 2 - 4 pm

<h3>World Cup 2022 Round of 16 fixtures</h3>

Netherlands vs USA - Saturday, December 3 - 4 pm

Argentina vs Australia - Saturday, December 3 - 8 pm

France vs Poland - Sunday, December 4 - 4 pm

England vs Senegal - Sunday, December 4 - 8 pm

Japan vs Croatia - Monday, December 5 - 4 pm

Brazil vs South Korea - Monday, December 5 - 8 pm

Morocco vs Spain - Tuesday, December 6 - 4 pm

Portugal vs Switzerland - Tuesday, December 6 - 8 pm

<h3>World Cup 2022 Quarterfinal fixtures</h3>

Netherlands vs Argentina - Friday, December 9 - 8 pm

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 group fixtures, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final fixtures

Argentina and Netherlands are the first countries to qualify for the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals. Click here to see all the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup fixtures from the group fixtures to the knockout stages.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Fixtures

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious and anticipated competition in football history with countries competing to determine who earns the title of World Champion for the next four years.

While the ultimate target for every country is the trophy, players keep an eye on the individual awards with the Golden Boot - awarded to the World Cup top scorer - one of the most important ones.

The World Cup Golden Boot award (initially referred to as the Golden Shoe award till 2010) was officially handed out for the first time at the 1982 World Cup.&nbsp;

Harry Kane won the golden boot at the 2018 World Cup

Though there have been World Cup top scorers in each of the previous editions, no official award was presented to the winners till the Spain '82 World Cup.

Since then, there have been 10 winners of the Golden Boot award with popular players such as Ronaldo, Gary Lineker, and Davor Suker all previous recipients of the World Cup Golden Boot award.

However, Italian striker Paolo Rossi was the first player to be named the Golden Boot winner after finishing as the World Cup top scorer in the 1982 World Cup.&nbsp;

Here are details of all the World Cup top scorers/Golden Boot winners from 1982 till date:&nbsp;

<h3>1982 World Cup Top Scorer: Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6 goals</h3>

Italian forward Paolo Rossi was the star of the Spain '82 World Cup, leading the Azzurris’ of Italy to win the World Cup trophy as well as scoring six (6) goals along the way.

Paolo Rossi won the World Cup and the Golden Boot in 1982

Rossi was also awarded the Golden Ball award of the 1982 World Cup for being the best player of the tournament, making him one of only three players to ever win the World Cup trophy, the Golden Boot, and the Golden Ball awards at a single World Cup.

Rossi was also named the 1982 Ballon d'Or winner, making him the only player to have won all four prestigious awards in one calendar year.

<h3>1986 World Cup Top Scorer: Gary Lineker (England) - 6 goals</h3>

England striker Gary Lineker won the 1986 Golden Boot award for scoring six (6) goals in five (5) matches during the Mexico '86 World Cup.

Gary Lineker was the highest goal scorer at the 1986 FIFA World Cup

Despite being knocked out at the quarterfinal stage by Argentina and Diego Maradona's famous 'Hand of God' goal, Lineker's hat-trick against Poland in the final group stage game, his brace against Paraguay in the Round of 16, and his consolation goal against Argentina in the quarterfinal were enough to see him finish top of the goalscorers list.

Lineker is England's record goalscorer at the World Cup, with 10 goals. He scored four (4) more goals during the 1990 World Cup before England crashed out in the semifinals.

<h3>1990 World Cup Top Scorer: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) - 6 goals</h3>

Schillaci was the surprise package of the Italia '90 World Cup, edging favourites Diego Maradona and Lothar Matthaus to the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards on home soil.

US defender Jimmy Banks  tracks Italy striker Salvatore Schillaci at the 1990 World Cup

Schillaci's six (6) goals in seven (7) matches helped Italy win bronze at the 1990 World Cup while securing him the World Cup top scorer gong.

Schillaci partnered with the famous Roberto Baggio as Italy's preferred strike duo during the 1990 World Cup which ended up being the peak of his international career with the Italian national team.

<h3>1994 World Cup Top Scorer: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria) &amp; Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6 goals</h3>

The United States 1994 World Cup saw two players share the Golden Boot award after both Hristo Stoichkov and Oleg Salenko finished with six (6) goals each.

Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov joined Barcelona in 1990 and scored 162 goals in 336 games during an eight-year stay at the Camp Nou

Stoichkov's six (6) goals came in seven (7) matches as he led Bulgaria to a fourth-place finish at the 1990 World Cup while Salenko's six (6) goals incredibly came in just three (3) matches as Russia crashed out at the group stage.

Salenko's haul was significantly helped by his five-goal haul against Cameroon in the group stage, becoming the only player ever to score five (5) goals in a single World Cup game.

<h3>1998 World Cup Top Scorer: Davor Suker (Croatia) - 6 goals</h3>

Suker was the architect of Croatia's third-place finish at the France '98 World Cup, scoring six (6) goals in seven (7) matches en route to the podium.

Croatian football federation president Davor Suker with FIFA President Gianni Infantino

Croatia lost to eventual champions France in the semifinals, despite Suker opening the scoring in the 46th minute as he staked a claim for the top scorer position.

Suker scored in the first two group stage games as well as every knockout game of the 1990 World Cup, going on to win the Silver Ball award.

<h3>2002 World Cup Top Scorer: Ronaldo (Brazil) - 8 goals</h3>

After narrowly missing out on winning the World Cup trophy in 1998, Ronaldo Nazario de Lima returned with a bang for the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup.

Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo

As part of a front three featuring Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, Ronaldo finished as the 2002 World Cup top scorer with 8 goals from 7 matches.&nbsp;

Other than winning the World Cup Golden Boot award, Ronaldo also won the Silver Ball as he led Brazil to its fifth World Cup triumph.

<h3>2006 World Cup Top Scorer: Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 5 goals</h3>

German striker Miroslav Klose made his mark at the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany by finishing as the Golden Boot winner with five (5) goals in seven (7) matches.

Miroslav Klose is the all-time highest goalscorer in World Cup history

Klose earlier scored five (5) goals in his debut World Cup in 2002 but this time, his five-goal haul was enough to guarantee him the World Cup Top Scorer gong as well as a bronze medal with Germany.

Klose would go on to become the highest goalscorer in World Cup history as he featured in two more World Cup editions before retiring.

<h3>2010 World Cup Top Scorer: Thomas Muller (Germany) - 5 goals</h3>

Thomas Muller edged the trio of David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, and Diego Forlan to the 2010 Golden Boot award in an unprecedented feat.

Thomas Muller will play a crucial part in Germany's Qatar 2022 World Cup bid

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin TrappDefenders: Armel Bella Kotchap, Matthias Ginter, Christian Gunter, Thilo Kehrer, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum, Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas SuleMidfielders/Forwards: Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Niclas Fullkrug, Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Mario Gotze, Ilkay Gundogan, Kai Havertz, Jonas Hofman, Joshua Kimmich, Youssoufa Moukoko, Jamal Musiala, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane

After all four players finished the tournament with five (5) goals apiece, the tie-break rule of assists was applied. Muller provided three (3) assists during the tournament, edging the remaining three players who had one (1) assist each.

Muller also won the Best Young Player award along with his Golden Boot as Germany finished in third place at the South Africa 2010 World Cup.

<h3>2014 World Cup Top Scorer: James Rodriguez (Colombia) - 6 goals</h3>

Colombia's first-ever appearance in the World Cup quarterfinals was inspired by James Rodriguez's brilliance at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

James Rodriguez was the highest goalscorer at the 2014 World Cup but he was not selected in Colombia's 2022 World Cup squad

Rodriguez scored six (6) goals in only five (5) matches as he powered Colombia through the group stages and past Uruguay in the Round of 16.

The Colombian forward earned rave reviews from legends such as Diego Maradona and Oscar Tabarez as well as securing a move to Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid in the aftermath of the tournament.

<h3>2018 World Cup Top Scorer: Harry Kane (England) - 6 goals</h3>

England returned to the podium at the Russia 2018 World Cup thanks to Harry Kane's determination to win the World Cup top scorer award.

Harry Kane of at Wembley when England played against Germany in the UEFA Nations League on September 2022.

Kane bagged six (6) goals in six (6) matches as the Three Lions reached the semifinals before falling to the tournament's surprise package, Croatia.

The bulk of Kane's goals at the 2018 World Cup came in the group stage as he scored five (5) goals in the first two matches of the tournament before adding his last goal in the Round of 16 clash against Colombia.

Damola Ogungbe

Articles written by the author

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